We also use the powerful capabilities of Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) to analyze groundwater-related data. Our GIS
software accesses data in a variety of formats, including Arc/INFO,
AutoCAD, and ArcView. GIS is the ideal tool for regional
investigations because it allows us to establish relationships between
geographic features and parameters such as land use, soil type, slope,
and other types of hydrogeologic data. For example, we developed a GIS
application to help a major water supply utility manage data it had collected
over a period of many years. Users could query the system and preview
geographical data pertaining to wells, transmission facilities, water
quality, water use, water rights, groundwater levels, and potential sources
of contamination.